Irish Coffee: 10 ‘The Association’ observations

In case you missed “The Association” — NBA Entertainment’s behind-the-scenes documentary of the Celtics — on Friday night, here are 10 observations from the first episode:

1. When do the Celtics play the Lakers?

Because the vengeance factor on a scale of 1-10 is going to be an 11. Obviously, that Game 7 loss in Los Angeles hurt the C’s, but watching them talk about it gives you an idea of how deep it struck them and how hard it drives them.

“Once you went back to the locker room without that trophy in your hand, it settled in,” Paul Pierce said. “It’s like you lost your best friend or something.”

The Celtics revisit the Lakers rivaly for the first time this season on Jan. 30, in Los Angeles. Where is Doc Rivers going to hide the money this time?

2. Mark my words: Rivers will coach the Celtics in 2011-12.

Ever since the start of the season, there’s been discussion about whether or not Rivers will return to the Celtics bench again next season. Heck, he even discussed his hesitations about returning this season.

“It was a difficult process,” Rivers said. “My first thing was my family, and the bottom line is that if I thought that me coaching would affect my family in the wrong way, I was out. My family, on the other hand, pushed me to coaching. They really wanted me to coach, especially the kids. They all to a man wanted me to come back, see if we could get this together and go for it one more time.”

My question is this: If his family wanted him to return this season — when two of his sons would be playing together for their high school basketball team — why would they urge him otherwise next season, when three of his four children will have already graduated high school and left home?

“I’m not an athlete,” Shaq said. “I ain’t never had athletic skills. It’s hard work. My definition of athletic is somebody that starts off like that. I’m not an athlete. I’m just a good dancer.”

Hearing these guys talk about sports is like what it would’ve been to hear Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro and Robert Duvall discuss the art of acting while they filmed Parts 1 and 2 of “The Godfather.”

4. The Celtics are embracing a unique experience.

Whether or not we get to be a fly on the wall with the Celtics, the important thing is they’re embracing the fact that it’s unique for them to be part of a team that features six former All-Stars and five potential Hall of Famers.

“Moments like this I cherish, because I’ve been on teams where you don’t have this opportunity,” Pierce said. “When you continue to play with All-Stars like — at one point, we had Kevin [Garnett] and Shaq on one team with Jermaine and me and Ray coming in. It was just like, man, you felt that in the gym.”

On a young team, like the Heat, players might look at the big picture: We could win some championships over the next eight years. On this veteran Celtics team, however, there is no big picture. It’s now or never, and they seem to get that.

5. The home opener against the Heat really didn’t mean anything.

In the wake of the league’s most hyped opening night game in its history, when the veteran Celtics disposed of the newlook Heat, all Rivers had to say to his team in the locker room was this: “Great win. Let’s get out of here.”

“People not acknowledging a giant that’s already been there and done it, that tested us in the wrong spot,” Glen Davis said. “Us as players demand respect.”

Even from behind the scenes, all that game appeared to be for the Celtics was one game in a season-long voyage to recapture the league’s respect.

It was one clip in a brief montage of a team practice, but it told you everything you need to know about the Celtics point guard. His leadership was born in hard work, and it’s grown on the court more than off of it.

“There was a time when I sat down with Rajon, and I said, ‘Here’s 10 characteristics of a leader, and you don’t fit any of these characteristics right now,'” said Celtics president Danny Ainge. “It was a challenge early on, because I think he wanted to be a leader, but he was trying to carve out his own niche amongst the Hall of Famers he was playing with.”

Whether or not Rondo is the best point guard in the NBA, the important thing is that he believes he is, and he’s stubborn enough to prove it. I enjoyed how Rivers summed up his protege with one word: “Rondo is a fire.”

West stood alone, firing shot after shot from the corner of the Celtics’ practice facility. He was in his element. Then, speaking to the camera, holding back tears, he was once again out of it.

“I’m overcome with emotions that I’ve never had before,” West said. “It’s like I’ve been given another shot at life. All of this was almost taken from me. Basketball is my life.”

And that was filmed before he broke his wrist. His journey back to the Celtics has been a long one, and now it’s only going to be longer.

8. Old dogs can learn new tricks.

Rivers had told John Havlicek if he ever draws up a play not to hesitate to bring it by a practice. Well, Havlicek did. With guys like Hondo and Tommy Heinsohn around, you sometimes forget how much knowledge the C’s have to draw from.

“Celtic pride and Celtic mystique, there is something real to it,” Havlicek said. “There’s just something that comes out of you, knowing that you have that Green jersey on, and I knew that players coming from other teams to our team all of the sudden were transformed into another way of thinking.”

It’s pretty amazing that the Celtics organization allows for guys like Doc and Shaq to continue learning about the sport, even after being around it for so long.

9. Even on the Celtics, office dynamics can be a funny thing.

There were two internal relationships you got a real sense of from watching “The Association”: 1) Garnett and Rondo, and 2) Shaq and Kendrick Perkins.

“Seriously, out of the eight years I’ve been in the NBA, this might be the craziest team I’ve ever been on — just as far as personality,” Perkins said. “You got Paul. You got KG and Rondo. KG and Rondo are like those two brothers who grew up in the same house, but their momma always had to get on them about fighting. They really love each other at the end of the day. That’s those two. Me and Doc call them the two divas of the team.”

First, the transformation of Shaq’s relationship with Perkins — from foes to friends — is real. You don’t kiss somebody on the cheek you don’t like. It’s that simple. And second, especially with the “that ain’t no foul” back-and-forth between KG and Rondo, it’s nice to see some insight into two Celtics whose personalities you don’t often get to witness.

10. At this point, the 2008 NBA title means nothing.

Sure, the banner hangs overhead every time they take to the parquet, but it really means nothing to the leadership of this team. They know, above all, if they want to be remembered as true Celtics, they need ring No. 2.

“You win a title, no one can take it away from you,” Rivers said. “But if you want to be mentioned as part of one of the great teams here, you have to win two.”

Not many teams can draw from that extra motivation once they’ve proven themselves by winning an NBA championship. Well, besides the Lakers.

Stay tuned. The next episode of “The Association airs on Jan. 21.

SHAQ ‘DANCING WITH THE STARS’?

After the Celtics’ victory against the Bulls on Friday night, NBA TV interviewed Shaq. Rick Fox said that he opened the door for big men to compete on “Dancing with the Stars,” and then asked Shaq if he’d be open to the idea.

Shaq didn’t deny his interest. He is, however, going to challenge 75 kids to a dance-off with the “Michael Jackson: The Experience” video game, as part of a holiday charity event at the Boys & Girls Club of Roxbury, according to the Boston Herald’s Inside Track.

As far as the rest of the interview goes, the most interesting portion came when Shaq said he was feeling more like a 16-year veteran than an 18-year veteran, as a result of missing at least 20 games in five of his past six seasons.

“I just want to be remembered as either the most dominant big man to ever play the game or one of the most dominant big men, and I would like to have four or five or six rings. I’m just playing. I’ve still got about two years left. I missed two years because of injury, so my legs are feeling good. Hopefully, I can get No. 5 and No. 6. That’s my goal.”

Following what was probably his most complete performance of the season — 21 points, six assists and six steals in 31 minutes as the starting point guard in place of Rondo — Nate Robinsontold the New York Post he’s not lacking self esteem.

“When I shoot, I feel I can make every shot,” he said. “I feel like I can’t be stopped.”

I guess Rondo isn’t the only Celtics point guard with a healthy dose of arrogance.

CELTICS NEVER LACK STORYLINES

Even after a lazy Sunday afternoon game against the Nets, when the Celtics lit them up in a 25-point blowout, there was plenty talk about. Just take a look at Steve Bulpett’s notebook from the Herald …

Is there anybody who takes more lumps than Big Baby? Apparently, he was beaned in the head by a medicine ball mishandled by Marquis Daniels.

‘That hurt,’ Davis said. ‘I’m doing my routine, doing my little Dougie dance, and he hit me in the head. But he woke me up though. It was an early game. I needed something like that.’

Jermaine O’Neal could return to practice next week, which would give the Celtics a nice boost considering Garnett’s been playing 40,000 minutes a night.

‘Basically the plan is to go every day this week,’ he said. ‘I won’t travel with the team. I’ll come in and get some extra cardio. If I do well throughout the week, then I’m cleared to practice next week.’

After missing a Monday practice following the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, Shaq had to sit out the second half against the Nets because he forgot to bring his anti-inflammatory medicine the night before the game.

‘I just forgot to take my drugs,’ Shaq said. ‘Without them, I can’t really play right now. But I’ll be fine Wednesday [against the Nuggets].’

Should we should be concerned about Shaq getting on in years?

(Have a question, concern or conception for tomorrow’s Irish Coffee? Send a message to @brohrbach on Twitter.)